, 1887-07-20
THE GOOD WORK BEGUN
Formally Throwing Open the New
Y. M. C. A.. Rooms.
A Large Audience Listen to Inter
esting Exercises.
How the Association Has Grown in
Forty Three Years.

tne exercises Wnlcn marked the formal
opening of the new Young Mems Chris
tan Association rooms. These rooms are
in the new two story brick structure adj
Joining Keefe hall, and are in every re-
spect as cosy and inviting in appearance
as it is possible to make them. One room
on the first floor is occupied by the public
library; the associations reception room
is across the hall. Above these two rooms
are reading and writing rooms, plentifully
supplied with the leading magazines and
newspapers of the country. Back of the
library and reception room On the first
floor is the gymnasium, a compact apart
ment filed with all needful apparatus.
There are bathrooms in connection. The
finishing Of all the rooms is peculiarly at
t~ractive and the ornamentations artistic
in themselves and arranged to the best
possible advantage. The officers of the
association are DR.. w. N. Hunt president,
W. G. Knight vice president, Mayor
Riner treasurer, R. N. Heath secretary
and w. L. Whipple assistant secretary.
The proceedings were opened with a
song rendered by a selected choir COM
posed of Miss Crook, Miss Kingsley, Miss
Gillian, Mrs. Pratt, Mr.. Henderson, Mr..
McCandlish and Mr.. Heath. Prof. Pas
more was the director.
The opening prayer was offered by the
Rev. r. r. Field, after which a duet was
charmingly sung by Miss Gillian and Miss
Crook.
DR.. Hunt read a letter of regret from
I'll. A. Chambers, chairman of the Y. NJ.
G. A. executive committee at Denver.
A piano solo was then brilliantly rem
dered by Miss Ivena Baker.
The first Y. NJ. G. A, said w. T. Sun
ley, state secretary of Colorado. on being
introduced, was organized forty-three
years ago on the 9th of last June. George
Williams, a 16-year-old boy, left his
try home to secure employment in a mer-
camille house in London. He had been
carefully brought up and was shocked at
the depravity OF his fellow clerks, all OF
whom roomed in the building in which
they were employed. The clerks were in
the habit of visiting the variety halls. To
counteract the influence, young Williams
began holding prayer meetings in his
room. The meetings grew in attendance
and spread to other buildings until the
association vas finally organized. 1t has
been in existence thirty-six years in this
country. There are now $500 associa-
tons scattered over the world. over 1000
of which are in the United States and
Canada, with a membership of ITO, 900.
After indicating in a general way the
method in which the work is conducted,
the speaker said hat the libraries OF the
associations in this country were valued at
one-third of a million, their furniture at
half a million, while 100 associations had
buildings specially erected at a cost of
s., 900, 900.
Peter Whine. OF Denver, followed in an
eulogium of the association and its work.
Rev. A. w. Williams being introduced
spoke of the public interest in the insti-
tuition as evidenced by the large audience.
The energies of men were concentrated
on one of two objects, making money or
building up a good character. To possess
a good character a man must have good
principles, sobriety and morality. There
were three departments of work in the Y.
M. @. A. The gymnasium, to furnish a
sound body, the library, to store a sound
mind, and the meetings for prayer to
elevate the spiritual nature.
Prof. Hutchinson followed in a violin
selection from Lucia, which he rendered
with the NEST exquisite feeling and grace.
Owing to the lateness of the hour he
could not respond to an enthusiastic en-
core.
Miss Lathrop, of Pennsylvania, for
merly a school teacher in this city, gave a
bright and humorous ten minutes talk.
D. W. Bradley, of Denver, chiefly con-
fined his remarks to the religious feature
of the associations work.
Rev. A. 81. Buchtel, d. D., of Denver,
made a short but felicitous address.
Everyone who listened to him was
charmed by the keen, practical way in
which he plunged into his subject.
After the association hymn had been
sung by the audience, benediction was
pronounced by the Rev. DR.. Buchtel, and
those who desired were given an oppor-
tunity of inspecting the association rooms.
Mrs. Rich Dead.
Mrs. Jane E. Rich, mother of Mrs.